The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1887-06-04
The "POcket" Theory Don't Go.

The "POcket" Theory Don't Go.
CoLFAx La, June q 1887.
Editor Colfar Chronicle:
From few short publications made in
the Picayune during the last ten days, it
appears that those who came here for the
purpose of investigating the gold find
we're not favorably impressed by the re-
suits of the examination. They claim to
have assayed specimens of ore taken
from several places in this parish, with
no satisfactory results. They account for
the rich yield of specimens I forwarded
on the theory that they were taken from
a "pocket" is, a certain spot which,
owing to peculiar circumstances, is richer
in minerals than the surrounding coun-
try. 1 am free to say that if the sur
rounding country had been carefully and
properly examined, and found barren,
then the theory Of "pocket" would be
the only solution of the problem; but, as
things stand, am convinced that the ex-
aminations made ought not to be accept
ed as criterion, and are insufficient to
justify any theory.
In March and April I forwarded three
specimens for assay, yielding respectively
So, S199 and $4,000. The So material
was red clay, taken about three feet be-
meath the surface. The $199 specimen
was sand, gravel and small hard rocks
taken at the surface, which washed in a
tub = washed perfectly clean, allowing
nothing to escape but the muddy water
and the leaves, sticks and trash. The
$4,000 stuff was treated in the same way,
washed clean and then passed through a
common No. 20 sitter or seive. The peb-
bles, etc., left in the sitter were thrown
aside, the fine sand was forwarded.
Now, the examinations made by the ex-
perts were conducted in an entirely diff
ferent manner. They used the miners
iron pan,sa continuance designed for col
Letting the heavy particles in mass of
materials, such as sand, gravel, ETC., by
handling the pan in such a manner as to
allow the heavy particles to settle at the
bottom, while the lighter material floats
away with the water. Gold is one OF the
heaviest metals, being nearly twice as
heavy as lead, and, when free from con-
tact with light materials, such as grains
of sand, gravel, ETC., the pan is an exceed
ingly efficient instrument for collecting
the gold grains; but, if the gold is at
tached in minute particles to the gravel,
then its specific gravity is destroyed, and
the miners pan is an exceedingly ineffi-
Gent instrument. The process Of "pan-
ming" here in Grant resulted invariably
in obtaining a quantity of ''black sand, I"
which is in the form of very finely COM
minuted PARTICLES, and is in reality neither
more nor less than magnetic iron. With
the BLACK sand" fine PARTICLES OF gold APP
peared at nearly all the examinations.
This ''black sand" has been assayed and
made the basis of the unfavorable reports
concerning the deposit Of the precious
metals in Louisiana. 1t carries only a
trace of gold, but the fact that it carries
the trace is extremely significant.
protest against the unfavorable re-
port resulting from the assay Of "black
sand" The trace of gold in the black
sand ought to lead to an examination of
the red sand. 1 protest also against the
"pocket" theory. I candidly believe that
the ablack sand" in the "pocket" will
show no more than trace of gold. I
submit chat the "pocket" theory is not
justifable at the present stage of the ex-
animation. ROBT. s. CAMERON.